What strategic plan is the government developing to address child marriages?

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Government Developing Comprehensive Plan to Tackle Child Marriage

The Malaysian government is in the process of developing a comprehensive, strategic plan aimed at identifying and addressing the root causes of underage or child marriages. This initiative involves scrutinising proposals for legal amendments to raise the minimum marriage age, a move supported by various groups as crucial for the nation's development. The plan seeks to safeguard children's welfare, despite challenges posed by differing state-level stances on the issue.
Legal Amendments Under Scrutiny

The Attorney General, Tan Sri Tommy Thomas, has stated that the government is actively examining proposals for legal amendments. These amendments are intended to increase the minimum age for marriage from the current 16 years to 18 years. This review comes in response to growing pressure and public concern following reports of very young individuals being married.
Support for Raising Marriage Age

Women's rights organisation Sisters in Islam (SIS) has welcomed the government's efforts to ban child marriage through legal changes. SIS advocates for raising the minimum marriage age to 18 without any exceptions. They argue that delays in implementing these changes could hinder the country's progress towards achieving high-income status and expose children to continued risks.
Addressing Root Causes and Exceptions

Beyond legal age limits, the government's strategic plan aims to identify and address the underlying causes of child marriages. SIS also highlights the importance of implementing comprehensive sexuality education in schools as a complementary measure to curb unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. This approach acknowledges that a multi-faceted strategy is necessary to effectively combat the issue of child marriage.

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What strategic plan is the government developing to address child marriages?

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